Menus allow a user to navigate through the site. A menu is an object which contains one or more menu items. Each menu item points to a logical page on the site. A menu module is required to place the menu on the page. One menu can have more than one module. For example, one module might show only the first level menu items and a second module might show the level 2 menu items.

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The process for adding a menu to the site is normally as follows:

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# Create a new menu (using this screen).

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# Create one or more new menu items on the menu. Each menu item will have a specific menu item type.

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# Create one or more menu modules to display the menu on the site. When you create the modules, you will select which menu items (pages) the modules will show on.

==Screenshot==

==Screenshot==

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==Column Headers==

==Column Headers==

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{{colheader|Checkbox}}

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{{Chunk16:colheader|Checkbox}}

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{{colheader|Title}}

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*'''Title'''. The name of the menu.

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*'''Menu type'''. (Former 'Unique Name') The menu type is the unique identifier of a given menu and is used manly on the menu modules.

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*'''# Published'''. Number of published menu items in this menu.

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*'''# Unpublished'''. Number of unpublished menu items in this menu.

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*'''Published'''. Amount of the current included and published menu items.

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*'''# Trashed'''. Number of trashed menu items in this menu.

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*'''Unpublished'''. Amount of the current number of items that are not published or publicly available.

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*'''Modules Linked to the Menu'''. Lists any menu modules associated with the menu. The column shows the module's name, access level, and position on template.

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*'''Trashed'''. Amount of the current number of items that have been deleted, but not purged from the trash manager

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{{Chunk16:colheader|Id}}

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*'''Modules Linked to the Menu'''. Lists the modules associated with the menu. The column shows the module's name, type (Public || Registered ...) and position on template.

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{{Chunk16:colheader|DisplayNum}}

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{{colheader|Id}}

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==Toolbar==

==Toolbar==

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The functions are:

The functions are:

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*'''New'''. To create a new menu, click the "New" button. You can enter a title, menu type, and a description about the purpose of the menu.

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{{Chunk16:toolbaricon|New}}

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*'''Edit'''. The "Edit" button allows you to change the title, menu type, and description for the selected menu.

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{{Chunk16:toolbaricon|Edit}}

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*'''Delete'''. To delete a menu (and all included menu items), select the checkbox, and then the "Delete" button. You will be given one last chance to change your mind. If you're sure you want to delete the menu, click the delete button one last time.<br />

*'''Delete'''. To delete a menu (and all included menu items), select the checkbox, and then the "Delete" button. You will be given one last chance to change your mind. If you're sure you want to delete the menu, click the delete button one last time.<br />

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*'''Rebuild'''. Reconstructs / Refreshes the menu table. You do NOT need to rebuild the menu table normally. This function is provided in case the data in the table becomes corrupted.

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*'''Rebuild'''. Reconstructs / Refreshes the menu table. Normally, you do ''not'' need to rebuild the menu table. This function is provided in case the data in the table becomes corrupted.

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*'''Options.''' Opens the configuration window for the '''Extension Manager'''. In this window you can set '''Extension Manager''' access permissions for each user group specified in your Joomla! installation.

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*'''Options.''' Opens the Options window where default permissions for Menus can be edited. See [[Help16:Menus_Options|Menus Configuration]].

Revision as of 21:46, 3 September 2012

Contents

Access

In the backend of Joomla! use either Menus -> Menu Manager or the icon Menus from the controlpanel.

Description

Menus allow a user to navigate through the site. A menu is an object which contains one or more menu items. Each menu item points to a logical page on the site. A menu module is required to place the menu on the page. One menu can have more than one module. For example, one module might show only the first level menu items and a second module might show the level 2 menu items.

The process for adding a menu to the site is normally as follows:

Create a new menu (using this screen).

Create one or more new menu items on the menu. Each menu item will have a specific menu item type.

Create one or more menu modules to display the menu on the site. When you create the modules, you will select which menu items (pages) the modules will show on.

Screenshot

Column Headers

Checkbox. Check this box to select one or more items. To select all items, check the box in the column heading. After one or more boxes are checked, click a toolbar button to take an action on the selected item or items. Many toolbar actions, such as Publish and Unpublish, can work with multiple items. Others, such as Edit, only work on one item at a time. If multiple items are checked and you press Edit, the first item will be opened for editing.

Title. The name of the menu.

# Published. Number of published menu items in this menu.

# Unpublished. Number of unpublished menu items in this menu.

# Trashed. Number of trashed menu items in this menu.

Modules Linked to the Menu. Lists any menu modules associated with the menu. The column shows the module's name, access level, and position on template.

ID. This is a unique identification number for this item assigned automatically by Joomla!. It is used to identify the item internally, and you cannot change this number. When creating a new item, this field displays 0 until you save the new entry, at which point a new ID is assigned to it.

Display #. This list box shows at the bottom of the screen, below the list of items. You can select the number of items to display on one page. If there are more items than this number, you can use the page navigation buttons (Start, Prev, Next, End, and page numbers) to navigate between pages. Note that if you have a large number of items, it may be helpful to use the Filter options, located above the column headings, to limit which items display.

Toolbar

At the top right you will see the toolbar:

The functions are:

New. Creates a new item and opens the editing screen for this item.

Edit. Opens the editing screen for the selected item. If more than one item is selected (where applicable), only the first item will be opened. An item can also be opened for editing by clicking on its Title or Name.

Delete. To delete a menu (and all included menu items), select the checkbox, and then the "Delete" button. You will be given one last chance to change your mind. If you're sure you want to delete the menu, click the delete button one last time.

Rebuild. Reconstructs / Refreshes the menu table. Normally, you do not need to rebuild the menu table. This function is provided in case the data in the table becomes corrupted.

Options. Opens the Options window where default permissions for Menus can be edited. See Menus Configuration.

Help. Opens this Help Screen.

Quick Tips

It is expedient to give a descriptive title for new menus because, later, you will see it in the Backend Menus menu. It is a good idea to fill in the Description field with information about the menu. If you enter a short title in the Module title field, you can identify the menu's module using that title in the Module Manager.

Though you can create a copy of a selected menu by clicking the Copy toolbar button, you can make another instance in the Module Manager as well.

When you create a new menu, use only English alphanumeric characters without space in the Unique Name field. It is a good idea using only a-z, 0-9 and underscore (_) characters. Please read the tooltips as well.

If you don't enter a Module title, no module will be created and the menu cannot be displayed in the front end. However you can use the Module Manager later to create a new mod_mainmenu module, and assign it to the menu.

If you delete an existing menu, do not forget that all the menu items of the respective menu will be also deleted.

The Main Menu has your default menu item, so it should not be deleted. The default menu item is your home page, and your site will not function if it is deleted. If you change the default menu item, make sure that you don't delete that menu item either! The menu with the default menu item is marked with an asterisk (*) in the Menus menu.